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chrisfreemanca
Samba Member
Joined: March 13, 2016
Posts: 140
Location: Alabama
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 Posted: Wed Jun 22, 2016 5:40 pm Post subject: Trace a coolant leak |
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I've been having to fill the coolant reservoir on a semi regular basis but couldn't figure out where it was going. None of the usual suspects had produced anything and was beginning to wonder if I had a bunch of air in the system.
Tonight for the first time I had small puddle under the front left almost directly below the driver seat. This is the first time I've seen any leaks of anything on the ground. It was pooled up in rubber boot on the tie rod and dripping out. Anyone else see a leak coming out there? Suggestions on searching back up from here?
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Terry Kay
Banned
Joined: June 22, 2003
Posts: 13331
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| Posted: Wed Jun 22, 2016 6:06 pm Post subject: Re: Trace a coolant leak |
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Front heater valve, front heater hoses, front heater core.
Get a pressure tester on the expansion tank and find the leak fast.
You will have to do some crawling under the van--just as you should do now to get an eye on the source of that leak.
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Wildthings
Samba Member
Joined: March 13, 2005
Posts: 52684
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| Posted: Wed Jun 22, 2016 6:14 pm Post subject: Re: Trace a coolant leak |
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Sure what is on the ground is coolant?
Do you have a manual or automatic tranny?
Minor amounts of coolant can leak onto the top of the engine and mostly evaporate, leaving a corrosive looking crud behind. |
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Terry Kay
Banned
Joined: June 22, 2003
Posts: 13331
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| Posted: Wed Jun 22, 2016 6:19 pm Post subject: Re: Trace a coolant leak |
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Left front, not left rear thang.
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chrisfreemanca
Samba Member
Joined: March 13, 2016
Posts: 140
Location: Alabama
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| Posted: Wed Jun 22, 2016 6:25 pm Post subject: Re: Trace a coolant leak |
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| Wildthings wrote: |
Sure what is on the ground is coolant?
Do you have a manual or automatic tranny?
Minor amounts of coolant can leak onto the top of the engine and mostly evaporate, leaving a corrosive looking crud behind. |
Pretty sure it is, has same greenish color as the coolant.
It's a manual. |
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chrisfreemanca
Samba Member
Joined: March 13, 2016
Posts: 140
Location: Alabama
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| Posted: Wed Jun 22, 2016 6:28 pm Post subject: Re: Trace a coolant leak |
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| Terry Kay wrote: |
Front heater valve, front heater hoses, front heater core.
Get a pressure tester on the expansion tank and find the leak fast.
You will have to do some crawling under the van--just as you should do now to get an eye on the source of that leak. |
Yeah been crawling around and poking around that rubber boot or gaiter and its like its literally coming from inside of it, weird. Can't see or feel anything coming down into that boot so far.
Today is first time it's actually dripped onto the ground for me to even start looking for a leak. |
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Ahwahnee
Samba Member
Joined: June 05, 2010
Posts: 10299
Location: Mt Lemmon, AZ
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| Posted: Wed Jun 22, 2016 6:34 pm Post subject: Re: Trace a coolant leak |
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Well there's no coolant source inside the boot, so if it is coolant it has sprayed over there from somewhere.
And you're going to be replacing that boot -- right? |
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chrisfreemanca
Samba Member
Joined: March 13, 2016
Posts: 140
Location: Alabama
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| Posted: Wed Jun 22, 2016 6:47 pm Post subject: Re: Trace a coolant leak |
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| Ahwahnee wrote: |
Well there's no coolant source inside the boot, so if it is coolant it has sprayed over there from somewhere.
And you're going to be replacing that boot -- right? |
Need to replace them both. While under there noticed the other one has come apart and needs replacing. |
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wcdennis
Samba Member
Joined: July 20, 2004
Posts: 955
Location: Winston-Salem NC
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| Posted: Wed Jun 22, 2016 6:53 pm Post subject: Re: Trace a coolant leak |
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| Terry Kay wrote: |
Front heater valve, front heater hoses, front heater core.
Get a pressure tester on the expansion tank and find the leak fast.
You will have to do some crawling under the van--just as you should do now to get an eye on the source of that leak. |
Easy way to do what TK recommends: Cut the valve stem off an old inner tube. Pull the hose off your overflow tank and stick the valve stem in the hose. Now you can attach a bike air pump and add couple of pumps of air to the expansion tank. Don't over-do it. This pressure will turn a slow drip into a steady stream- and you will have no trouble finding a leak. |
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chrisfreemanca
Samba Member
Joined: March 13, 2016
Posts: 140
Location: Alabama
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| Posted: Sat Jul 02, 2016 8:06 am Post subject: Re: Trace a coolant leak |
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| wcdennis wrote: |
| Terry Kay wrote: |
Front heater valve, front heater hoses, front heater core.
Get a pressure tester on the expansion tank and find the leak fast.
You will have to do some crawling under the van--just as you should do now to get an eye on the source of that leak. |
Easy way to do what TK recommends: Cut the valve stem off an old inner tube. Pull the hose off your overflow tank and stick the valve stem in the hose. Now you can attach a bike air pump and add couple of pumps of air to the expansion tank. Don't over-do it. This pressure will turn a slow drip into a steady stream- and you will have no trouble finding a leak. |
Finally got around to this after being out of town. I'm really confused now as I bring the tank up to pressure using bike pump and can almost immediately hear the air pressure releasing in the lines. It finally produced a drip but not at the front where the previous coolant had pooled up in that boot. It's now dripping from directly under the engine as seen is this pic. I however cannot see anywhere from the top where it's coming from. I can't find anything wet or spewing by looking down from the top.
The drip is coming off the tip of that small protrusion just in front of the exhaust. Suggestions on tracing that back up? Is this a potential indicator of a cracked head gasket at worse or a water jacket seal that needs replacing? |
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Zeitgeist 13
Samba Member
Joined: March 05, 2009
Posts: 12177
Location: Port Manteau
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| Posted: Sat Jul 02, 2016 8:15 am Post subject: Re: Trace a coolant leak |
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Thermostat housing gasket, temp sender o-ring, head gasket, coolant hose junction, etc.
When I'm tracking down leaks, I'm not afraid to use my my various senses to determine the type of liquid I'm trying to identify. Coolant has a very distinct smell, taste and viscosity. My AC evaporator drains condensation off of the RR engine tin, which frequently freaks me out. The taste test invariably sets me at ease.
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'89 Bluestar ALH
'01 Weekender --> full camper
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mikemtnbike
Samba Member
Joined: March 26, 2015
Posts: 2954
Location: North Carolina
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Vanagator
Samba Member
Joined: January 14, 2009
Posts: 230
Location: Cool lush mountains in Mexico
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| Posted: Mon Jul 04, 2016 9:13 am Post subject: Re: Trace a coolant leak |
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That leak off the engine looks just like a head gasket leak I head. uhh-ohhhh...
X2 on the comment by mikemtnbike.....check it out you may need a re-seal job. |
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chrisfreemanca
Samba Member
Joined: March 13, 2016
Posts: 140
Location: Alabama
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| Posted: Tue Jul 05, 2016 7:01 pm Post subject: Re: Trace a coolant leak |
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| chrisfreemanca wrote: |
| Ahwahnee wrote: |
Well there's no coolant source inside the boot, so if it is coolant it has sprayed over there from somewhere.
And you're going to be replacing that boot -- right? |
Need to replace them both. While under there noticed the other one has come apart and needs replacing. |
After hearing my power steering groan today I poked around some more and checked my PS reservoir when i got home tonight. Seems I have a PS fluid leak from my rack. So in short order i've gone from no leaks to 2 different ones. 
Assuming a boot full of PS fluid likely means a replacement rack is in order? |
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IdahoDoug
Samba Member
Joined: June 12, 2010
Posts: 10357
Location: N. Idaho
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| Posted: Wed Jul 06, 2016 1:00 am Post subject: Re: Trace a coolant leak |
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WCDennis,
That's friggin brilliant with the valve stem. It took me several reads to get out of my head that the innertube was not needed and realize how simple what you propose is. Great call not only for the Van, but also for my fleet of aging beauties as well!
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1987 2WD Wolfsburg Vanagon Weekender "Mango", two fully locked 80 Series LandCruisers. 2017 Subaru Outback boxer. 1990 Audi 90 Quattro 20V with rear locking differential, 1990 burgundy parts Vanagon. 1984 Porsche 944, 1993 Toyota LandCruiser, 2002 BMW 325iX, 1982 Toyota Sunrader |
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